A.Word.A.Day

“Food will win the war”
A poster by the US Food Administration (See more)

Image: National Archives

A.Word.A.Day

with Anu Garg

hooverize

PRONUNCIATION:

(HOO-vuh-ryz)

MEANING:

verb tr., intr.: To be sparing in the use of something, especially food.

ETYMOLOGY:

After Herbert C. Hoover (1874-1964), who as the head of the US Food
Administration during the WWI, encouraged citizens to eat less and
save food for soldiers. Earliest documented use: 1917.

NOTES:

“To hooverize” is not the same as “to hoover”. The latter is a synonym
of “to vacuum” (also used metaphorically for “to devour” or “to consume”).
It’s the genericizing of the word Hoover, a popular brand name for vacuum
cleaners. The word is mostly used around the UK. The brand is named after
American industrialist William Henry Hoover (1849-1932).

USAGE:

“Read one wartime Valentine’s Day poem:
I can Hooverize on dinner
And on lights and fuel too
But I’ll never learn to Hooverize
When it comes to loving you.”
David Pietrusza; 1932: The Rise of Hitler and FDR; Lyons Press; 2015.